My Longest Birthday

August 6, 2006. The night before I leave Japan for the Philippines. My friends held a despedida for me and at the same time, a birthday celebration for me as one of them would not see me until December. We had Japanese-style spaghetti then.

August 26, 2006. Roughly two weeks before my birthday. We went to Taliptip, Bulacan for swimming. My family and college friends were there. It was supposed to be held on my sister's birthday 10 days ago but it was decided to be a double birthday celebration to include mine. We had hamonado (yum yum), pancit bihon with canton, fried chicken and a black forrest cake from Ate Hanie.

September 4, 2006. The night before I go back to Japan. My family and college friends had a despedida-cum-birthday party for me. We had bird's nest soup, pork asado, pancit canton and lumpiang shanghai, plus a another black forrest cake, this time from Pamela. I left Manila with a full stomach enough to make me not eat anymore except the meals from the plane.

September 10, 2006. My birthday. As I woke up, I merely said to myself, "Happy birthday!" I was to prepare pancit bihon for today but for some unknown reason, I didn't have the will to do it. I just though that there might be some food in the church and so then there had been food. Two babies were baptized today and there was food after the mass. (The baptismal rite was incorporated in the mass.) There was yakisoba (stir fried noodles), fried chicken, bola-bola, lumpiang shanghai, donuts, ice cream and cake. I ate a lot and ended up with a full stomach again.

Festivities for my birthday wasn't over yet as we went to a yakiniku (grilled meat) house in Sagae City. This time I was with my friends Elmer, Abe-san, Ate Kaye and her husband. We had tonzoku (steamed pork feet), yakiniku (grilled meat) and beer. I went home almost incapable of walking due to my heavy tummy.

I called home tonight and I heard that mom prepared pancit bihon to celebrate my birthday. Another good news was that my sisters won the Marian contests in Obando, for birthday card and poster making contests. I am very proud of them, partly because I was the one who composed the message in the birthday card which was just an impromptu poem.

This year I had the longest celebration of my birthday. Food was not the basis for it but the people greeting me and celebrating my birthday with me. The well wishers and the birthday songs that I heard. Not the birthday candles that I blew, but the wishes that I made and the wishes that I made last year that came true. Of course it rained today, as every year. But I was showered too with a loving family and caring friends. God showered and will continue to shower me with His blessings, as I received a special birthday blessing today in the church. It is the longest and perhaps the happiest. Thank you very much to everyone!